Francois Boucher Painting Reproductions 1 of 4
1703-1770
French Rococo Painter
François Boucher (September 29, 1703 – May 30, 1770) was a French painter, a proponent of Rococo taste, known for his idyllic and voluptuous paintings on classical themes, decorative allegories representing the arts or pastoral occupations, and several portraits of Madame de Pompadour.
Biography
Born in Paris, the son of decorator Nicolas Boucher, François Boucher was perhaps the most celebrated decorative artist of the 18th century, with most of his work reflecting the Rococo style. At the young age of 17, Boucher was apprenticed by his father to François Lemoyne, however after only 3 months he went to work for the engraver Jean-François Cars. Within 3 years Boucher had already won the elite Grand Prix de Rome, although he did not take up the consequential opportunity to study in Italy until 4 years later. On his return from studying in Italy in 1731, he was admitted to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture as a historical painter, and became a faculty member in 1734.
His career moved upwards and onwards from this point, as he advanced from professor to Rector of the Academy, becoming head of the Royal Gobelin factory in 1755 and finally Premier Peintre du Roi (First Painter of the King) in 1765.
With much of his work reflecting inspiration gained from artists Watteau and Rubens, Boucher's early work celebrates the idyllic and tranquil, portraying nature and landscape with great élan. However, his work typically forgoes traditional rural innocence to portray scenes with a definitive style of eroticism, and his mythological scenes are passionate and amorous rather than traditionally epic.
Marquise de Pompadour (mistress of King Louis XV), whose name became synonymous with Rococo art, was a great fan of Boucher's, and it is particularly in his portraits of her that this style is clearly exemplified. Paintings such as The Breakfast of 1739, a family scene, also show Boucher as a master of the genre scene as he regularly used his own wife and family as models. These intimate family scenes are however in contrast to the licentious style in which he also painted, as seen in his Odalisque portraits. The dark-haired version of the Odalisque portraits prompted claims by Diderot that Boucher was "prostituting his own wife", and the Blonde Odalisque was a portrait that illustrated the extra-marital relationships of the King. Boucher gained lasting notoriety through such private commissions for wealthy collectors and, after the ever-moral Diderot expressed his disapproval, his reputation came under increasing critical attack during the last of his creative years.
Along with his painting, Boucher also designed theatre costumes and sets, and the ardent intrigues of the comic operas Favart (1710-1792) closely parallel his own style of painting. Tapestry design was also an interest and major activity of his, together with his design activities for the opera and the royal palaces of Versailles, Fontainebleau and Choisy. His design activities for all of the aforementioned augmented his earlier reputation, resulting in many engravings from his work and even reproduction of his themes onto porcelain and biscuit-ware at the Vincennes and Sèvres factories.
Francois Boucher died on May 30, 1770 in Paris, France. His name had become synonymous with the French Rococo style, along with that of his patron, Madame de Pompadour, leading the Goncourt brothers to write: "Boucher is one of those men who represent the taste of a century, who express, personify and embody it."
Biography
Born in Paris, the son of decorator Nicolas Boucher, François Boucher was perhaps the most celebrated decorative artist of the 18th century, with most of his work reflecting the Rococo style. At the young age of 17, Boucher was apprenticed by his father to François Lemoyne, however after only 3 months he went to work for the engraver Jean-François Cars. Within 3 years Boucher had already won the elite Grand Prix de Rome, although he did not take up the consequential opportunity to study in Italy until 4 years later. On his return from studying in Italy in 1731, he was admitted to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture as a historical painter, and became a faculty member in 1734.
His career moved upwards and onwards from this point, as he advanced from professor to Rector of the Academy, becoming head of the Royal Gobelin factory in 1755 and finally Premier Peintre du Roi (First Painter of the King) in 1765.
With much of his work reflecting inspiration gained from artists Watteau and Rubens, Boucher's early work celebrates the idyllic and tranquil, portraying nature and landscape with great élan. However, his work typically forgoes traditional rural innocence to portray scenes with a definitive style of eroticism, and his mythological scenes are passionate and amorous rather than traditionally epic.
Marquise de Pompadour (mistress of King Louis XV), whose name became synonymous with Rococo art, was a great fan of Boucher's, and it is particularly in his portraits of her that this style is clearly exemplified. Paintings such as The Breakfast of 1739, a family scene, also show Boucher as a master of the genre scene as he regularly used his own wife and family as models. These intimate family scenes are however in contrast to the licentious style in which he also painted, as seen in his Odalisque portraits. The dark-haired version of the Odalisque portraits prompted claims by Diderot that Boucher was "prostituting his own wife", and the Blonde Odalisque was a portrait that illustrated the extra-marital relationships of the King. Boucher gained lasting notoriety through such private commissions for wealthy collectors and, after the ever-moral Diderot expressed his disapproval, his reputation came under increasing critical attack during the last of his creative years.
Along with his painting, Boucher also designed theatre costumes and sets, and the ardent intrigues of the comic operas Favart (1710-1792) closely parallel his own style of painting. Tapestry design was also an interest and major activity of his, together with his design activities for the opera and the royal palaces of Versailles, Fontainebleau and Choisy. His design activities for all of the aforementioned augmented his earlier reputation, resulting in many engravings from his work and even reproduction of his themes onto porcelain and biscuit-ware at the Vincennes and Sèvres factories.
Francois Boucher died on May 30, 1770 in Paris, France. His name had become synonymous with the French Rococo style, along with that of his patron, Madame de Pompadour, leading the Goncourt brothers to write: "Boucher is one of those men who represent the taste of a century, who express, personify and embody it."
177 Boucher Paintings
The Toilet of Venus 1751
Oil Painting
$2768
$2768
Canvas Print
$59.92
$59.92
SKU: BFR-4043
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 108.3 x 85.1 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 108.3 x 85.1 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
Venus Consoling Love 1751
Oil Painting
$2071
$2071
Canvas Print
$59.50
$59.50
SKU: BFR-4044
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 107 x 84.8 cm
National Gallery of Art, Washington, USA
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 107 x 84.8 cm
National Gallery of Art, Washington, USA
The Love Letter 1750
Oil Painting
$2219
$2219
Canvas Print
$69.06
$69.06
SKU: BFR-4045
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 81.2 x 75.2 cm
National Gallery of Art, Washington, USA
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 81.2 x 75.2 cm
National Gallery of Art, Washington, USA
Allegory of Music 1764
Oil Painting
$2049
$2049
Canvas Print
$60.20
$60.20
SKU: BFR-4046
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 103.5 x 130 cm
National Gallery of Art, Washington, USA
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 103.5 x 130 cm
National Gallery of Art, Washington, USA
Allegory of Painting 1765
Oil Painting
$2049
$2049
Canvas Print
$59.09
$59.09
SKU: BFR-4047
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 101.5 x 130 cm
National Gallery of Art, Washington, USA
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 101.5 x 130 cm
National Gallery of Art, Washington, USA
Reclining Girl 1752
Oil Painting
$1052
$1052
Canvas Print
$61.58
$61.58
SKU: BFR-4048
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 59 x 73 cm
Alte Pinakothek, Munich, Germany
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 59 x 73 cm
Alte Pinakothek, Munich, Germany
Landscape Near Beauvais c.1740
Oil Painting
$1218
$1218
Canvas Print
$61.30
$61.30
SKU: BFR-4049
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 58 x 49 cm
The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 58 x 49 cm
The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
Crossing the Bridge c.1730
Oil Painting
$1282
$1282
SKU: BFR-4050
Francois Boucher
Original Size: unknown
The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
Francois Boucher
Original Size: unknown
The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
Landscape with a Pond 1746
Oil Painting
$1179
$1179
SKU: BFR-4051
Francois Boucher
Original Size: unknown
The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
Francois Boucher
Original Size: unknown
The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
Cupids Allegory of Painting c.1760
Oil Painting
$1385
$1385
SKU: BFR-4052
Francois Boucher
Original Size: unknown
The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
Francois Boucher
Original Size: unknown
The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
Pastoral Scene c.1730
Oil Painting
$2025
$2025
SKU: BFR-4053
Francois Boucher
Original Size: unknown
The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
Francois Boucher
Original Size: unknown
The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
Head of a Young Girl c.1745
Oil Painting
$920
$920
SKU: BFR-4054
Francois Boucher
Original Size: unknown
The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
Francois Boucher
Original Size: unknown
The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
Crossing the Ford c.1730
Oil Painting
$1308
$1308
SKU: BFR-4055
Francois Boucher
Original Size: unknown
The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
Francois Boucher
Original Size: unknown
The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
Saint John the Baptist c.1755
Oil Painting
$1749
$1749
Canvas Print
$53.56
$53.56
SKU: BFR-4056
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 163.8 x 115.5 cm
Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minnesota, USA
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 163.8 x 115.5 cm
Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minnesota, USA
The Cherub Harvesters c.1730/35
Oil Painting
$1603
$1603
Canvas Print
$59.23
$59.23
SKU: BFR-4057
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 122 x 96.2 cm
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, USA
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 122 x 96.2 cm
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, USA
Jupiter and Callisto 1744
Oil Painting
$2910
$2910
Canvas Print
$56.59
$56.59
SKU: BFR-4058
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 98 x 72 cm
Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow, Russia
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 98 x 72 cm
Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow, Russia
Shepherd Boy Playing Bagpipes c.1754
Oil Painting
$1322
$1322
SKU: BFR-4059
Francois Boucher
Original Size: unknown
Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Massachusetts, USA
Francois Boucher
Original Size: unknown
Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Massachusetts, USA
Young Woman with Flowers in Her Hair n.d.
Oil Painting
$1179
$1179
SKU: BFR-4060
Francois Boucher
Original Size: unknown
Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Massachusetts, USA
Francois Boucher
Original Size: unknown
Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Massachusetts, USA
A Pastoral Scene 1762
Oil Painting
$1895
$1895
Canvas Print
$50.22
$50.22
SKU: BFR-4061
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 231.5 x 91 cm
National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 231.5 x 91 cm
National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
The Rape of Europa c.1732/34
Oil Painting
$4855
$4855
Canvas Print
$64.07
$64.07
SKU: BFR-4062
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 230.8 x 273.5 cm
The Wallace Collection, London, United Kingdom
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 230.8 x 273.5 cm
The Wallace Collection, London, United Kingdom
An Autumn Pastoral 1749
Oil Painting
$2514
$2514
Canvas Print
$58.12
$58.12
SKU: BFR-4063
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 259.5 x 198.6 cm
The Wallace Collection, London, United Kingdom
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 259.5 x 198.6 cm
The Wallace Collection, London, United Kingdom
A Summer Pastoral 1749
Oil Painting
$2748
$2748
Canvas Print
$57.71
$57.71
SKU: BFR-4064
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 259 x 197 cm
The Wallace Collection, London, United Kingdom
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 259 x 197 cm
The Wallace Collection, London, United Kingdom
Shepherd and Shepherdess Reposing (The School of Love) 1761
Oil Painting
$2284
$2284
Canvas Print
$63.52
$63.52
SKU: BFR-4065
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 76.6 x 63.6 cm
The Wallace Collection, London, United Kingdom
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 76.6 x 63.6 cm
The Wallace Collection, London, United Kingdom
Madame de Pompadour 1759
Oil Painting
$4519
$4519
Canvas Print
$56.74
$56.74
SKU: BFR-4066
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 91 x 68 cm
The Wallace Collection, London, United Kingdom
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 91 x 68 cm
The Wallace Collection, London, United Kingdom
The Rising of the Sun 1753
Oil Painting
$3510
$3510
Canvas Print
$63.79
$63.79
SKU: BFR-4067
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 318 x 261 cm
The Wallace Collection, London, United Kingdom
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 318 x 261 cm
The Wallace Collection, London, United Kingdom
The Setting of the Sun 1752
Oil Painting
$3710
$3710
Canvas Print
$62.83
$62.83
SKU: BFR-4068
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 318 x 261 cm
The Wallace Collection, London, United Kingdom
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 318 x 261 cm
The Wallace Collection, London, United Kingdom
The Four Seasons: Spring 1755
Oil Painting
$2386
$2386
Canvas Print
$59.92
$59.92
SKU: BFR-4069
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 54.3 x 72.7 cm
Frick Collection, New York, USA
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 54.3 x 72.7 cm
Frick Collection, New York, USA
The Four Seasons: Summer 1755
Oil Painting
$1727
$1727
Canvas Print
$59.50
$59.50
SKU: BFR-4070
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 57.1 x 71 cm
Frick Collection, New York, USA
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 57.1 x 71 cm
Frick Collection, New York, USA
The Four Seasons: Autumn 1755
Oil Painting
$1790
$1790
Canvas Print
$59.50
$59.50
SKU: BFR-4071
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 56.5 x 73 cm
Frick Collection, New York, USA
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 56.5 x 73 cm
Frick Collection, New York, USA
The Four Seasons: Winter 1755
Oil Painting
$1893
$1893
Canvas Print
$59.92
$59.92
SKU: BFR-4072
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 56.8 x 73 cm
Frick Collection, New York, USA
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 56.8 x 73 cm
Frick Collection, New York, USA
Poetry n.d.
Oil Painting
$1179
$1179
Canvas Print
$50.22
$50.22
SKU: BFR-4073
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 40 x 32.7 cm
Frick Collection, New York, USA
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 40 x 32.7 cm
Frick Collection, New York, USA
Drawing n.d.
Oil Painting
$1179
$1179
Canvas Print
$50.22
$50.22
SKU: BFR-4074
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 40 x 32.7 cm
Frick Collection, New York, USA
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 40 x 32.7 cm
Frick Collection, New York, USA
Girl with Roses c.1760
Oil Painting
$1238
$1238
Canvas Print
$50.81
$50.81
SKU: BFR-4075
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 54.6 x 42.5 cm
Frick Collection, New York, USA
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 54.6 x 42.5 cm
Frick Collection, New York, USA
A Lady on Her Day Bed 1743
Oil Painting
$1498
$1498
Canvas Print
$55.18
$55.18
SKU: BFR-4076
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 57.2 x 68.3 cm
Frick Collection, New York, USA
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 57.2 x 68.3 cm
Frick Collection, New York, USA
The Milliner 1746
Oil Painting
$1749
$1749
SKU: BFR-4077
Francois Boucher
Original Size: unknown
National Museum, Stockholm, Sweden
Francois Boucher
Original Size: unknown
National Museum, Stockholm, Sweden
The Luncheon 1739
Oil Painting
$1979
$1979
Canvas Print
$59.64
$59.64
SKU: BFR-4078
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 81.5 x 65.5 cm
Louvre Museum, Paris, France
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 81.5 x 65.5 cm
Louvre Museum, Paris, France
Portrait of Madame de Pompadour 1758
Oil Painting
$2250
$2250
Canvas Print
$61.17
$61.17
SKU: BFR-4079
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 72.4 x 57.8 cm
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, United Kingdom
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 72.4 x 57.8 cm
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, United Kingdom
Pan and Syrinx 1759
Oil Painting
$1047
$1047
Canvas Print
$50.22
$50.22
SKU: BFR-4080
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 32.4 x 41.9 cm
National Gallery, London, United Kingdom
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 32.4 x 41.9 cm
National Gallery, London, United Kingdom
La Toilette 1742
Oil Painting
$1811
$1811
Canvas Print
$62.41
$62.41
SKU: BFR-4081
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 52.5 x 66.5 cm
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid, Spain
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 52.5 x 66.5 cm
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid, Spain
Young Woman with a Bouquet of Roses n.d.
Oil Painting
$1342
$1342
SKU: BFR-4082
Francois Boucher
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Francois Boucher
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Painter in his Studio n.d.
Oil Painting
$875
$875
Canvas Print
$50.22
$50.22
SKU: BFR-4083
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 27 x 22 cm
Louvre Museum, Paris, France
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 27 x 22 cm
Louvre Museum, Paris, France
Le Joueur De Flageolet 1766
Oil Painting
$1685
$1685
SKU: BFR-4084
Francois Boucher
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Francois Boucher
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour 1758
Oil Painting
$1790
$1790
Canvas Print
$60.20
$60.20
SKU: BFR-5061
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 81.2 x 64.9 cm
Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University, Massachusetts, USA
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 81.2 x 64.9 cm
Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University, Massachusetts, USA
The Odalisque 1745
Oil Painting
$1378
$1378
Canvas Print
$58.82
$58.82
SKU: BFR-7310
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 53 x 64 cm
Louvre Museum, Paris, France
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 53 x 64 cm
Louvre Museum, Paris, France
Diana Resting after her Bath 1742
Oil Painting
$1766
$1766
Canvas Print
$58.95
$58.95
SKU: BFR-8202
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 56 x 73 cm
Louvre Museum, Paris, France
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 56 x 73 cm
Louvre Museum, Paris, France
Madame de Pompadour c.1758/59
Oil Painting
$2214
$2214
Canvas Print
$50.22
$50.22
SKU: BFR-8203
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 36.2 x 44.5 cm
National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 36.2 x 44.5 cm
National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Dreaming Shepherdess c.1760/63
Oil Painting
$1517
$1517
Canvas Print
$66.57
$66.57
SKU: BFR-8204
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 56.9 x 46.5 cm
Museum ResidenzGalerie, Salzburg, Austria
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 56.9 x 46.5 cm
Museum ResidenzGalerie, Salzburg, Austria
Shepherd Piping to a Shepherdess c.1747/50
Oil Painting
$2077
$2077
Canvas Print
$50.23
$50.23
SKU: BFR-8484
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 94 x 142 cm
The Wallace Collection, London, United Kingdom
Francois Boucher
Original Size: 94 x 142 cm
The Wallace Collection, London, United Kingdom